FTP: What's your choice for FREE?

ATS16805

In the past i have used WS_FTP-LE for FTP jobs-- i couldn't have asked for a more generous package, but it slowly seemed more difficult to qualify for the d/l, and even if i fabricated some stuff about my planned usage. then, i got my hands on WS_FTP Pro... borrowed it from a roommate. i like it, but i'd like to use something that i don't have to borrow like that... something that i can call mine, but also something that's not gonna inflict further damage on my already broken pocketbook. i recall trying some free FTP apps a while ago, but they all seemed quite more complex that the simple intuitive nature of the WS_FTP GUI. in other words, there were many settings for which i didn't know what info to supply for the parameters.

i'm curious what you use. free stuff only, please-- and stuff for dummies like me-- either that, or something w/ a good piece of documentation for new users, and/or user community support.

thanks!

piersk

filezilla

laserlight

I use FileZilla too.

Elizabeth

SmartFTP

Jason_Batten

Elizabeth wrote:
SmartFTP

Agreed.

ATS16805

very cool. thanks for the info.

i did a google search and one of the first results was smartFTP-- but i went to the home-page and saw the word "buy" there, so i though, "oh, this must be an evaluation software", so i looked around for some reviews-- actually went to cnet, which i thought was a good source (and maybe it is), but i was surprised that there wasn't really much there, the pages are littered w/ ads and seem a bit convoluted, and from what i could tell as i narrowed my search, they have FTP lumped in w/ e-mail as a category! i googled it, and found a a decent resource, and again, smartFTP was listed, so i went back and read the fine print. okay, i qualify for the free product. d/l'd and installed, and i am quite pleased. to me, it seems much like WS_FTP (assuming WS_FTP is a benchmark), and even has some features which appear as if they'll be a big help in the future-- features i'm not aware of on WS_FTP.

wow-- how coincidental! i really felt that i had basically selected a random free software, having not investigated any beyond smartFTP because i was satisfied w/ it from the outset. i'm glad i picked something which ranks high among the users here. now i feel confident that it must be a good product-- and for FREE nonetheless!

i haven't checked Filezilla. i'll take a look. thanks again for your feedback.

Sxooter

I've used wxftp in the past, which seems to have been superceded by axy ftp, by the same author. Of course, that's for machines running X windows. So, if you know someone on linux et. al. I'd recommend that they give it a try.

Note that this a fairly old program, and I'm the kinda guy who does ftp from the command line, so...

ATS16805

Hello, Sxooter!

right on. thanks for your input. i don't believe we've met, so... nice to meet you.
i shouldn't have written so much commentary in my posts above-- especially not being an authority on the subject-- perhaps this could still become a viable thread of info for people looking for a good FTP freeware.

out of curiousity, where would be a good place to start if i wanted to learn a bit about FTP from the command line? obviously, google, but that goes w/out saying... (not that i plan to switch cause i think it's "cool" to be able to do it or some silly reason, but i do like to learn). i assume there is a proper Syntax-- i guess that's what i see when smartFTP is showing me its progress.

BuzzLY

The best place to learn about any command-line interfaces is to be an old fart, and have already learned it 20 years ago. It helps if you're so stuck in your old ways that you refuse to give them up for the new-fangled gadgetry of the future (aka, a GUI).

😃 😃 😃

Sxooter

Yeah, I'd say the best place to learn would likely be to google for a tutorial.

And good to meet you too ATS16805...

csn

I've tried lots of FTP clients and pretty much just use FileZilla. ncftp is great for command-line stuff.

dalecosp

out of curiousity, where would be a good place to start if i wanted to learn a bit about FTP from the command line?

Hrm, get a real OS and type:
$ man ftp

😉

The best place to learn about any command-line interfaces is to be an old fart, and have already learned it 20 years ago. It helps if you're so stuck in your old ways that you refuse to give them up for the new-fangled gadgetry of the future (aka, a GUI).

😃😃😃

// dalecosp is an older fart than BuzzLY, but not sure about Sxooter. However, both of them are more fully-trained in CS, and it's a hobby-turned-pseudocareer for me.

FWIW, and if it matters to anyone at all, the 'Nix-like ftp CLI clients are tons better than trying it on windoze.

Weedpacket

You still use ftp? Haven't you heard of scp? Sheesh, next you'll be telling me you still use telnet.

dalecosp

You 'talkin to me? On a publicly available ftp server, you bet I do! But for other stuff I chose sftp over scp, for no particular reason I can recall ATM.

I also use http, ppp, pptp, rstp, TCP, UDP, ICMP, NTP, SMTP, POP, IMAP, AUP, PnP, sometimes NNTP, RIP, SNMP, and, of course, PHP. Hmm, I think I need to go "P" .... 😃

And I still find an occasional use for telnet. But not for remote logins on my boxen ... 😉

Gee, does P appear as the final character in more geekronyms than any other letter?

Weedpacket

Well, I just find "ssh" easier to type than "telnet". But then, instead of logging out of a machine to get back to whichever one I had logged in from, I usually ssh there....

I do have a valid reason for this. It means I don't accidentally do something on the wrong box because I popped my login stack too many (or not enough) times.

It's not a very good reason, but it is valid.

dalecosp

Works .... I use ssh all the time, too --- it just doesn't rhyme/end with "P".... 😃 I have found, though, that when using xterm/aterm/Eterm, I tend to look at the title bar before I notice the hostname in the prompt, so I generally have one or more terminals ssh'ed into each box on one or more of my multiple desktops. If I'm not sitting on a GUI, then I'm probably more likely to daisy-chain from one to another as you mention.

ATS16805

Weedpacket wrote:
You still use ftp? Haven't you heard of scp?

actually, no i haven't. anyone care to give the new-guy the rundown?

dalecosp

Sure. See attached --- this one culled from FreeBSD 5.4 --- a gazillon other versions available, perhaps, but the instructions should be about the same.

dalecosp

Oh, BTW, weedpacket was probably just joshing me. 🙂

Sxooter

What, don't your primitive ftp clients support this command:

set authentication ssl

and since I use it to talk to a mainframe halfway across the country that another company owns, no, I can't use scp.

What's that saying about everything looking like a nail when all you've got is a hammer?